Products I have used up + their replacements (Proactiv Solution 3 Step System Review)

Hi everyone!

I have just finished 2 products from my everyday skincare review , hence, decided to share with you my thoughts and experiences on these Proactiv Solution 3 Step System products. It has a lot of negative reviews online, you might wanna read them too, but here is what I though of it.

I got a Proactiv Solution 3 Step System last year. I used it for 2-3 months did not notice any major differences. So after a while I gave up and moved to the clinique skincare set. 4 moths ago when i run out of my cleanser and moisturizer I decided to finish my Proactiv set before buying new products and I was pleasantly surprised.

I do not now how they choose the size of the bottles, but I run out of the toner very quickly, hence it is not in the picture and honestly I do not even remember if I liked it or not.

I remember I decided to stop using Proactiv because Of the Renewing Cleanser, it has a little beads in it so it is like a gentle scrub, and at that point I did not like the idea of using something like this on my skin everyday. I thought it was too harsh on my break outs and making my them more red. As my personal preference based on my experience with my skin, I much more prefer to use gentle cleansers on my face if my skin is a little stressed or I have a few spots.

When I started to use Proactiv again, my skin was mostly clear, I enjoyed using Proactiv cleanser everyday and every morning for the little exfoliation and as it says renewing of my skin. For me it wasn’t to drying either. The only thing I would want to be different is more gentler beads. You do need a small amount of cleanser so, that bottle will last you very long.

Repairing Treatment (moisturizer) was my favorite product of the whole set. I definitely, fell much more in love with it using it second time. I mostly used it once a day in the evening, unless I had a few spots, then I would use it twice a day. As the name, of this moisturizer suggests it is a repairing treatment for your skin, which I need and like the most. It contains Tea Tree Oil Rosemary and Chamomile extracts, which helps to heal my skin, reduce redness and clear out small breakouts. Non other moisturizer or skin treatment made my skin looking so much better the next morning. It will not clear your bigger breakouts or do another magic overnight, but in relation to small “repair works” on your skin it is the best product so far or me.

As most of the blemish fighting skincare these products can dry your skin, some more than others. I tend to have a bit drier skin in the winter, however, I still did not stop using the Proactiv, just a different moisturizer in the morning and a hydrating mask from time to time was enough for me to avoid dryness. Not using Proactiv toner also contributed to not drying my skin as much.  Everybody’s skin is different, hence, it might not be the case for you, especially if you already have dry or sensitive skin.

Also, important to know that this set contains salicylic acid, which does not irritate my skin, but might be the case for others. If you considering getting this product, you should study all the ingredients for yourself to check wherever it will be suitable for your skin and test it out first.

Lastly, I am going to give my opinion on the major purpose of this product about preventing and reducing breakouts. As any other skincare I tried I did not prevent or reduce my breakouts. Whatever skincare I use, I will have periods when my skin will be clear and when it will be not. I learned that rather that buying lots of products and trying them out, you need to understand the cause of your breakouts and treat that rather than pile products on your skin. Proactiv Solution and other treatments might help you to recover or reduce the visibility of your breakouts, but if your breakout causes are from within, piling products on top and drying your skin will not help much.

Overall I did enjoy using these products, but for now I am not going to repurchase them. At the moment the full set in Boots cost £39.99, which I think is a bit pricey, however products (expect) toner do last you a long time. Maybe, after few months if I see this set on discount I might buy it again, but for now I want to continue to experiment with my skin and these are the products I bought as a replacement:

1. Gentle Skin Cleanser by Cetaphil – usued it before, and I liked it. At the moment I am all about the as simple skin care as possible. I do not want to overwhelm my skin with heavy products, but want to let my skin calm down and balance itself out.

2. Superdrug Tea Tree Foaming Facial wash – I used a lot of tea tree oil containing products before and they are my favorite when it comes to fighting breakouts. I haven’t used this one before, but I did use a similar one by Body Shop. I am planning to use this one only when I am having spots or small breakouts on my face.

To replace the moisturizer I looked through these two unfinished products:

1. Dramatically different moisturizing lotion by Clinique – it is my favorite morning moisturizer at the moment.

2. Skin  Repair Moisturiser by Liz Earle – I decided to give it another go and see how i like it this time. I thought it will be nice to use it in the evenings and see how this repair moisturiser will “repair” my skin.

Have you used any of these products and what are your thoughts? Let me know if you have any questions or want more reviews on the products I have mentioned in the future.

Have a great weekend everyone!